Hosea 1 KJV
King James Version, Holy Bible
The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.
2 The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea. And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord.
3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son.
4 And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel, in the valley of Jezreel.
6 And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away.
Hosea 1 (Old Testament)
7 But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
8 Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son.
9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
11 Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
| Hebrew Word + Transliteration | Verse + Snippet | Meaning | Scholarly Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| זְנוּנִים — zenunim | Verse 2 — “…a wife of whoredoms…” | “Harlotry,” unfaithfulness. | Zenunim (“harlotry”) symbolizes spiritual infidelity (“unfaithfulness”). Hosea’s marriage mirrors Israel’s covenant breach. The term frames the book’s prophetic theme. — Wilhelm Gesenius, Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon (1860) |
| רִאשׁוֹנָה — rishonah | Verse 2 — “…beginning of the LORD’s speaking…” | “Beginning,” first. | Rishonah (“first/beginning”) marks the initial prophetic moment (“beginning”). God initiates the message dramatically. The term stresses divine initiative. — Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Minor Prophets (1879) |
| יְזְרְעֶאל — Yizreʿel | Verse 4 — “…call his name Jezreel…” | “God sows.” | Yizreʿel (“God sows”) signifies both judgment and restoration (“God sows”). The valley recalls past bloodshed. The term carries dual prophetic meaning. — C. F. Keil, Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament (1885) |
| פָּקַד — paqad | Verse 4 — “…I will avenge the blood of Jezreel…” | “Visit,” judge. | Paqad (“to visit/judge”) denotes divine intervention (“punish”). God confronts national injustice. The term expresses covenant accountability. — Wilhelm Gesenius, Lexicon (1860) |
| הִשְׁבַּתִּי — hishbati | Verse 4 — “…cause to cease…” | “Cease,” end. | Hishbati (“to cause to cease”) marks decisive termination (“stop/cease”). God will halt Israel’s military power. The term emphasizes divine sovereignty. — Franz Delitzsch, Minor Prophets Commentary (1879) |
| לֹא רֻחָמָה — Lo-Ruhamah | Verse 6 — “…call her name LoRuhamah…” | “No mercy.” | Lo-Ruhamah (“no mercy”) expresses judgment withholding compassion (“no pity”). The name conveys covenant rupture. The term highlights relational tension. — C. F. Keil, Commentary (1885) |
| רִחַם — riḥam | Verse 6 — “…for I will no more have mercy…” | “Have compassion.” | Riham (“to have compassion”) signifies tender mercy (“compassion”). Israel forfeits divine pity through rebellion. The term accentuates relational loss. — Gesenius, Lexicon (1860) |
| לֹא עַמִּי — Lo-Ammi | Verse 9 — “…call his name LoAmmi…” | “Not my people.” | Lo-Ammi (“not My people”) signals covenant disowning (“not my people”). The relationship appears severed. The term conveys legal covenant rupture. — Keil, Commentary (1885) |
| אֶהְיֶה — ehyeh | Verse 9 — “…I will not be your God.” | “I will be.” | Ehyeh (“I will be”) recalls God’s self-revelation (“I AM”). Here, the covenant promise is reversed. The term intensifies dramatic tension. — Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary (1879) |
| רָבָה — ravah | Verse 10 — “…the number… shall be as the sand…” | “Multiply.” | Ravah (“to multiply”) evokes Abrahamic blessing (“increase”). Even after judgment, God promises restoration. The term frames hope following calamity. — Wilhelm Gesenius, Lexicon (1860) |
Biblical Scholars On This Chapter:
| Scholar (Institution & Dates) | Work | View on Chapter 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Franz Delitzsch (University of Leipzig, 1813–1890) | Biblischer Commentar über das Buch Hosea | Hosea’s marriage serves as a vivid symbol of Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness. |
| Johann Peter Lange (University of Bonn, 1802–1884) | Commentarius in Sacram Scripturam | The naming of Hosea’s children represents divine messages about judgment and hope. |
| Hermann Schultz (University of Göttingen, 1841–1903) | Die Bücher Hosea, Amos und Micha | Schultz interprets the chapter as a prophetic enactment, connecting personal life to national sin. |
| Charles Foster Kent (Yale University, 1867–1925) | The Book of Hosea: Introduction and Commentary | Kent emphasizes the narrative as a literary tool to illustrate Israel’s covenant breach. |
| August Dillmann (University of Leipzig, 1823–1894) | Die Propheten des Alten Testaments | The chapter underscores the symbolic function of Hosea’s family in conveying theological truths. |
Hosea 1: Being God’s people.
Memory verse: Hosea 1:9 Then God said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God.
The inception of the book of Hosea started with how God instructed prophet Hosea to marry a woman named Gomar, who was a harlot. This woman was unfaithful to her husband. However, God was using the relationship of the prophet Hosea with Gomar as a metaphor for His relationship with His people, Israel.
God’s people – the Israelites – have drifted away from God by being unfaithful to Him and indulging in spiritual adultery by worshiping other gods, and God had already made it clear to them after the crossing of the red sea that their going after other gods will be to their detriment because He is a jealous God [ Deut. 6:15 ]. For God to be our God, we also must be willing to be His people.
God detests what the Israelites were doing, and this act of defiance to obey God’s precepts caused God to utter these words in Hosea 1:9 "… For you are not My people, And I will not be your God” which depicts that, for we to be God’s people, it is expected of us to do His will and live holy for Him – not like Israelites who chase after other gods. God is holy and He would never bend His standard of holiness for any reason – He didn't even bend it to His so-called favorites.
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